The Deer Watch

Feel the anticipation — and share the moment of discovery — as a young boy and his dad set out to find one of nature’s unforgettable wonders.

A father promises his young son that this summer they will see a deer. They set out over the dunes, through the marsh, and into the woods, searching for a white-flag tail or a set of leaping legs. But deer are hard to find, especially if your feet want to dance and your nose tickles until you sneeze. Squirrels scurry up trees, rabbits leap out of sight, and a pheasant flushes into the sky, but the deer remain hidden until the boy is almost ready to give up and head home. A captivating, lyrical narrative and oil-on-linen landscape illustrations create a sense of quiet suspense as a young boy experiences a sight he will hold in his memory forever.

“This quiet picture book records a child's experience of nature with precision, beauty, and understated power. --Booklist (starred review) The large oil paintings on linen are richly textured and depict the forest landscape in quiet pastel hues. The poetic text is lovely. --School Library Journal Slonim, painting thickly in oils, does a lovely job of visualizing the wet stillness of a silent morning near the shore, as well as the intimacy between the terse father and his enthusiastic son. A nostalgic sensibility runs throughout Collins's writing, the story unfolding from the poetic adult perspective of one sharing a treasured memory. --Publishers Weekly Slonim's textured oil paintings, with visible brush strokes, evoke childhood, nature and the tender relationship between a father and son, adding to the scenes described in the text instead of mirroring them. --Kirkus Reviews Collins presents a deceptively simple story of a quiet adventure on the surface, but one that can also be used as an introduction to disappearing animal habitats. --Library Media Connection David Slocum has illustrated this quiet father-and-son nature ramble with paintings that are rich yet subtle; he works here with a subdued palette of greens and grays and mustardy yellows, layering thickly with fat brushstrokes. The effect is as enchanting as the sudden glimpse of a doe and two fauns. --The Wall Street Journal There's much to love here: Lowery Collins' poetic cadence and careful language; Slonim's impressionistic paintings of the hikers and all they see as they search for deer. --The Sunday Plain Dealer”

This quiet picture book records a child’s experience of nature with precision, beauty, and understated power.
—Booklist (starred review)

The large oil paintings on linen are richly textured and depict the forest landscape in quiet pastel hues. The poetic text is lovely.
—School Library Journal

Slonim, painting thickly in oils, does a lovely job of visualizing the wet stillness of a silent morning near the shore, as well as the intimacy between the terse father and his enthusiastic son. A nostalgic sensibility runs throughout Collins’s writing, the story unfolding from the poetic adult perspective of one sharing a treasured memory.
—Publishers Weekly

Slonim’s textured oil paintings, with visible brush strokes, evoke childhood, nature and the tender relationship between a father and son, adding to the scenes described in the text instead of mirroring them.
—Kirkus Reviews

Collins presents a deceptively simple story of a quiet adventure on the surface, but one that can also be used as an introduction to disappearing animal habitats.
—Library Media Connection

David Slocum has illustrated this quiet father-and-son nature ramble with paintings that are rich yet subtle; he works here with a subdued palette of greens and grays and mustardy yellows, layering thickly with fat brushstrokes. The effect is as enchanting as the sudden glimpse of a doe and two fauns.
—The Wall Street Journal

There's much to love here: Lowery Collins' poetic cadence and careful language; Slonim's impressionistic paintings of the hikers and all they see as they search for deer.
—The Sunday Plain Dealer

Pat Lowery Collins is the author of many books for children and young adults, including the novels Hidden Voices: The Orphan Musicians of Venice and Daughter of Winter. About The Deer Watch, she says, “The mystical feelings I experienced when sighting two fawns in the early morning were the inspiration for this tale.” She lives in Massachusetts.

David Slonim is a fine artist and writer and illustrator for children. He is the illustrator of Moishe’s Miracle by Laura Krauss Melmed and the author-illustrator of He Came with the Couch and Oh, Ducky! David Slonim lives in Indiana.

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